where the soul will not be led to remember this doxology for its repose? It is the characteristic utterance of the Church, just as in the closing chapter, we have the characteristic response of the Church to the Lord's own announcement: " Surely I come quickly-Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." The doxology here, if the expression may be used, springs from personal feeling. Spontaneousness and intelligence are alike conspicuous in it. It is not what Jesus Christ is as revealed in the Revelation, but that which He is to her to whom the Revelation is given. When every knee shall bow at the name of Jesus, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue confess to the Lordship of Jesus-those associated with Him in heaven, his own bride, whilst gladly owning all which others own, shall specially mention that which He is to her, and that too when arrayed in royal and priestly majesty. That very majesty shall testify to the preciousness of his blood; and instead of attempting to rival or eclipse his glory, will be the very occasion of most entirely ascribing all glory and dominion to him. Happy Church-so happily saved, as to find her highest joy and dignity in ascribing all glory to him. Happy Church, to be for ever in dependance, and inheriting all things; to be continually ascribing the right and title she alone has to such an inheritance, to the same blood by which her sins have been washed and she presented by Jesus to Himself without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, and presented by Jesus to God and his Father as kings and priests. "To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." PRESBUTES.

"The Basket."

Gen. ix. 27 -_—“ And He [the LORD God of Shem, v.26] shall dwell [or shechinah it] in the tents of Shem," As the LXX. & eos.. κατοικησάτω ἐν τοις οίκοις του Σημ. Is there not, here, a noticeable prophetic allusion to the Shechinah' of God's manifested presence between the Cherubim in the Tabernacle (con. Ex. xxv. 8; xxix. 43-46)? How many are the blessed and gracious thoughts which are connected, in Scripture, with the dwelling of God and man together and how various!

G.W.

No. XVIII.

OUTLINE OF THE EPISTLE TO THE

ROMANS.*

ROME was the centre of the universal empire of the world, the Gentile metropolis, and Paul had not been there; but God had made him apostle and teacher of the Gentiles (2 Tim. i. 11). In fulfilling his apostolic functions, his heart was naturally drawn toward that seat of the empire and the Christians living there, or who flocked thither from all sides, to confirm them in the faith, and to establish the Church forming in that important locality on the foundations of divine truth. This is what the epistle to the Romans presents us with. It is a summary of the great truths which form the ground-work of the Gospel of Christ.

Let us consider a little the position of man, and of the world, before God. Christianity, it is evident, was not introduced at the beginning of the history of the human

race.

Already nearly 4000 years had elapsed before the Son of God appeared among men. How many things had taken place under the eye of God during that long period!

Let us examine the grand traits of this history. God had created man innocent, and had placed him in a state of happiness in a terrestrial paradise. He, following the sad example of his wife, who had listened to the seductive words of the tempter, disobeyed God, and lost at once his innocence and his happiness. He dares not present himself before God. A bad conscience leads him to avoid His presence, even before the just judgment of God drives him from the garden, and from Himself, source alone of true happiness: man-ungrateful disobedient man, who had taken for his friend and his counsellor, in preference

* That from which this paper is taken has been by me since the Autumn of 1848. It was written in French, but was never published, except it were in Italian, as was then proposed. It is a mere sketch, but having been asked for by some who have found blessing from the writer's other works, I give the translation of it.-[ED.]

to God, Satan, had believed him rather than God Himself-the slave of Satan and his own will, was lost. Being driven from the garden was but a natural consequence of his fall. The way to the tree of life was closed to him. He strays in the world outside, the slave of sin and death. But God, in driving man out from His presence, had not forgotten to be gracious; and in pronouncing sentence on the serpent, he speaks of a Redeemer who should destroy the power of the enemy of man. It was pure grace; and testimony was given of it in the very title of the Deliverer, "the Seed of the woman," of her who by listening to Satan had plunged man into ruin; but before sending the Redeemer for the accomplishment of the work of redemption, man must be tried, and in every way, to see whether, such as he is, he could attain to the power of life eternal, or secure himself in a state of happiness. God knew well what he was. Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. But we are prone enough to entertain a good opinion of ourselves for it to be salutary for us to make trial of what we are, that the conscience, convinced of sin, may be willing to profit by pure grace and the goodness of God. So, during centuries, God left man without checks to the inclinations of his own heart.

The Saviour had been announced, it is true, and a living testimony had been given on the part of God.

The names of Abel, Enoch, and Noah, shine in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, like lights in those remote ages. But the light itself shone in vain. Man corrupted himself more and more, so that after long patience, God was led to wash corrupted humanity in the terrible scourge of the deluge. But He who is ever remembering His mercy in the midst of his judgments, pointed out a means of salvation to those who alone had listened to His Word; and Noah, with his family, becomes the parent stock of a new world.

We

But the terrible lesson of a world destroyed was lost upon man: chastisements do not change nature. soon find that idolatry is introduced and propagated in all quarters of the world. That is to say, to avail ourselves of the words of the Apostle Paul," the heathen

sacrificed to devils and not to God."

God called Abra

ham in order to preserve in the midst of the world the knowledge of the true God, and that he might be the depositary of the promises of God, and that the promised seed should rise from his family. And Abraham, as well as Isaac and Jacob, his son and grandson, were strangers and pilgrims on the earth through faith. Of his posterity the Lord raised up an earthly people (called Israel, known generally, in the present day, under the name of Jew), that it might be a witness and preserver of the doctrine of the unity of the true God, against the errors of the heathen. In Abraham the call of grace from out of the world, and free salvation through faith, had been signally shewn in the ways of God. Now, a striking testimony as to the deliverance by the blood of a victim, substituted for the sinner whose penalty it bore, was presented in a figure; and this thought, this answerer to the needs of conscience harassed by the conviction of sin, was spread through all nations; disfigured, doubtless, by the gross and abominable ideas of idolaters, who falsified the character of God in worshipping demons; but, in its first principle, as in its origin, a divine provision for the necessity of the sinner before a just God. When God called Israel to Himself that they might be His people, He put ransom as the ground of their deliverance. The blood guarded them from the just judgment of God,-guarded them perfectly. The people, come out of Egypt, is led through the desert to be tried, and at last is brought to Sinai. And now a principle quite new is presented to them. The covenant of the law is offered to the people, that is to say, the blessing and the enjoyment of promises under condition of obedience to the law of God. "If you obey my voice," said the Lord to the people, "thou shalt be a peculiar treasure unto me." "Do this, and thou shalt live. is then the principle of the law of God, a principle perfectly just, like the law, which was the rule of conduct which God proposed, and which the Lord Jesus summed up in those Holy Words:-"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and thy

This

neighbour as thyself." It was a perfect and admirable rule of what man ought to be, and which would secure happiness to the creatures living according to its requirements. The Lord therefore proclaimed the law, under the form of Ten Commandments, with His own mouth to the people, at Sinai. If they kept it they should be blessed, if not, they would be condemned and cursed.

Now the law, as it ought, proposed to them a perfect obedience, even (what is in fact alone such) the perfect obedience of the heart. "Thou shalt not covet." It is evident, that if God was entering into relationship with man, He must look to the heart." Thou shalt not covet." To act otherwise would be to justify the hypocrite. The law was thus given. It was a holy, just, and perfect law, which declared what man ought to be in order to please God, and to have life eternal. If God was pure, holy, and just, man must be so to be happy. But mark here, if the law described what man ought to be, it did not at all declare what God was, except that He was just, and would punish the sinner. It is the Gospel which shining, while it recognises fully this justice, and the perfection of the law, reveals what God in grace is to him who transgresses it. We shall speak of it presently. Here let us follow our subject. The law, which required perfect righteousness and obedience in man, had been given-to whom? To man already a sinner? What can a perfect law do (and the law of God must be such) for a sinner? Condemn him in convincing him of his sin. Was it the law which was in fault? Quite the contrary: it was its holiness and righteousness which did thus. It was the necessary result of a perfect law given to a sinner. A rule gives neither life nor strength-it requires certain things it gives nothing. There is another result of the law. There is a will of his own in man. One knows it, one feels it, one sees it. The law forbids the gratification of our will. It is the expression of the will of God which we ought to obey. Our will kicks against the will of God. We always desire to do that which is forbidden. Forbid a child to look into a basket to see what is therein, and a longing will begin to stir at once in its heart. It would not have thought of it had it not been told not to look into the basket; but now it wishes to examine it. Sin